BSR

Huawei Ascend G300 Review 5/5!

2012-04-15T15:56:00.001+01:00

Price: £100 (Pay As You Go - Vodafone)

The newest budget smartphone. It really is awesome!

The Design
The Huawei Ascend G300 comforms to what all touch screen phones seem to look like these days. I quite like it - the two tone colour scheme and the metallic back looks pretty cool . I'm fairly sure the design department took inspiration from the iPhone when creating this.

It has smooth and rounded edges which fits nicely in the palm of your hand. The Home, Back and Options buttons are all touch sensitive. The only physical buttons are the power and volume keys.

The Screen
The screen is 4 inchs across with a pixel resolutuon of 480x800. I find text, images and video to be perfectly clear. As an average user, I can't really fault the clarity even though there are phones with much greater depts available.

The Software
The phone out of the box runs Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread with a slight Huawei customisation. I quite like the changes Huawei has made, especially the lock screen (pictured). I am fairly sure they took inspiration from the LauncherPro Android app on the home screen. The end result is a very user friendly and simple to use interface.

The thing I am looking forward to most about this phone is the software that will become available. As we always see with cheap phones, Android developers seem to jump on them with custom ROMs. As this is a reasonably high spec phone with a cheap price, I'm fully expecting some awesome ROM's in the not so distant future...ICS anyone?

The Hardware:
The phone has an impressive 1GHz processor which easily handles all my apps. I have yet to come across a problem with speed although I have been using a Google G1 and LG Optimus for a while...

It's business as usual on the connectivity front. It has WiFi, HSPDA (enhanced 3G), Bluetooth and GPS. Everything you would expect from a modern day smartphone.

Another nice feature is the internal 2.4GB of memory. This would probably do for a light user - if not the MicroSD slot supports upto 32GB.

The phone has a 3.5mm audio jack and a MicroUSB port. Coupled with the reasonable amount of memory I think perfect to use as an audio player too!

The Phone
The phone has had some teething problems. I purchased it the day it came out and noticed there was a slight problem with sound clarity and volume. This has been fixed in a hotfix that was pushed out to all users recently.

The Camera
The G300 has a 5MP camera which includes a flash. For the average photographer, I think it is fine. Below is a picture I took of a poster I recently acquired...

The video quality is advertised to be HD at 720p. I will shortly be uploading a video to show you how it looks!

The Battery
I was impressed with the battery in this device. These days I expect to have to charge my personal phone overnight, every night. I have 3G switched on at all times and can normally be found playing DrawSomething...

I would class myself as a medium to heavy phone user, making several calls each day and using a variety of apps. In my experience, I get around 48 hours between charges. Towards the end of the second day it does start to display battery warning.

In summary, I am very impressed with this phone. I think Huawei have hit a sweet spot in the market and can see this phone doing exceptionally well. I'll update this article from time to time to let you guys know which ROM I am using.

This phone gets a solid 5/5. Probably the best purchase I have made to date.

The official specifications:

Model

U8815

Type

Smart phone

Platform

	Operating System	Android 2.3
	Band	GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz UMTS 1: 900/2100MHz UMTS 2: 850/1900/2100MHz
	Transfer Rate	WCDMA: 384Kbit/s (UL), 384 Kbit/s (DL) HSDPA: 7.2 Mbit/s GPRS/EDGE: 118.4 Kbit/s (UL), 236.8Kbit/s (DL)
	CPU	1GHz

Appearance

	Style	Bar
	Color	16M colors
	Dimension (H X W X D)	122.5mm × 63mm × 10.5mm
	Weight	About 140g (including the battery)

Display

	Size	4.0-inch
	Resolution	WVGA( 800x480 pixels)

Camera

Camera resolution

5.0 MP AF Camera

Capacity

Memory

ROM: 4 GB
RAM: 512 MB
ROM User Available: 2.4 GB

Connectivity

	USB	Micro USB
	Wi-Fi	802.11b / 802.11g / 802.11n
	Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 / Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)

Entertainment

Music player

*.mp3, *.wav, *.ogg, *.mid, *.amr, *.mp4, *.3gp

Web

Web browser

Android Native Browser

Location

GPS/AGPS

Apps

Availability of Google applications, services, and features may vary according to your country or carrier.
All Backup, File Manager, Weather Clock, Huawei Music, Contacts

Sensors

	Proximity sensor	Supported
	Ambient light sensor	Supported
	Compass	Supported
	G sensor	Supported

Battery*

	Capacity	1350 mAh (1500mAh in Europe & VDF)
	Talk time	Up to 320 mins (2G); Up to 300 mins (3G)
	Standby time	Up to 320 hours (2G); Up to 350 hours (3G)

Theme Hospital on Android (CorsixTH).

2012-03-18T14:15:00.000+00:00

A friend of mine has ported Theme Hospital (CorsixTH) to the Android platform and it's awesome so far.

It's still a "work in progress" however it is playable!

** I have received a large number of hits to this article recently. I think it's because of the Theme Hospital app that has just hit the Android Store (Google Play). The app uses my friends code without acknowledgement and the "developer" hasn't released the source. Don't buy it. An updated and more importantly free version is on my friends site. The one on the Play store is actually using copyrighted content so it should be removed soon**

The game requires you to have either the demo or the full version of the PC game. On first boot the game will ask for the location of these files.

Even though I had the full game years ago, I downloaded the demo files and placed them where the app told me to (sdcard\th).

The installer went on to ask me the resolution of the phone and a couple of optional advanced questions.After the installer built the files, it was on to the game!

I used the Google G1 to test this app and it was playable. The screen on the G1 isn't great and I don't think I could spend too long on it however, if it runs fine on that, it should work on pretty much any Android phone?

Update 21/05/2012 - I have now played this on my Huawei Ascend G300 and it's awesome.

If you want the game, head over to Alan's website

Whilst you're there, remind him he still has my Monopoly game from about 10 years ago. Thanks.

MightyText Android App + Chrome Extension Review.

2012-03-18T13:31:00.000+00:00

Recently, I have been looking for a way to send texts whilst working on my PC.

A quick Google search came up with the free Android app called MightyText so I decided to give it a try.
Its very easy to set up and best of all it's free!

The app promises to add the functionality to send and receive text messages from your computer. You install the Mighty Text app on your phone (which then connects to the Internet via 3G or WiFi) and download a Google Chrome extension.

Once downloaded you sign into your Google account and the two platforms sync up. The great thing about it being a Chrome extension is that it's pretty much OS independent on the computer side of things. Providing you can run Google Chrome, you can use this extension.

Your phone maintains a connection to the Internet and, from what I have seen so far, does not use much data. A standard data plan should do the trick.

The interface is fairly basic but this is to be expected as the service is still in beta. You get a small icon added to the Chrome interface which, when clicked, brings up a window with all your current conversations.

Navigation between the conversations is easy enough - they have gone for a tabbed approach . To send a new text you click "Compose new" and either start typing a name (the app can sync with you Google contacts) or enter the mobile number.

When you click send the Chrome extension makes a connection to your phone and sends the message. Any replies or new messages are routed back to Chrome and pop up in a small window.

I have only had a couple of hours use out of it so far but I really like it. The interface is a little clunky but I think once the service is out of beta and has had a little more work, it will be perfect.

The prerequisits for the app are:
Android 2.2 or above.
Google Chrome (They are promising Firefox, Safari and IE will be supported soon!)

Overall I would rate this app 4/5. I think once the interface is improved and providing it remains free, it will get a definite 5!

Not a review, more of a "note to self".

2012-03-11T04:39:00.002+00:00

Today I went shopping and purchased a 16GB USB flash drive for £9. I bought it from a shop so I imagine I could of got a better deal online.

Back when flash drives first hit the scene I remember saving up and getting a 128MB stick for around £40. It was pretty useless as most people I knew didn't have USB ports on their PC's (If they had a PC at all that is).

I thought I would make a quick post just to document this. One day I hope to look back and compare the price differences.

Sometimes I even bore myself...

For those who are interested, it's a Sandisk Cruzer Switch drive. The official Sandisk website is selling it for $60! What a rip.

Quick update

2012-03-08T23:43:00.002+00:00

Due to a server error (and also Adam being busy/tired) the site is currently undergoing some maintenance. It won't take long and there will be no downtime, just a standard template for a while!

UPDATE 11/03/1012
Everything should be fixed now. If you do notice anything odd then please let me know!

Magix Digital DJ 2 Review 4/5!

2012-02-22T20:09:00.003+00:00

Price: £39.99

In this review I’m going to take a look at Digital DJ 2, a new computer program on the market aimed at both novice and professional computer based DJs. The main aim of Digital DJ 2 is to utilise the built in features to perform seamless mixing between audio files. The use for this could be anything from performing live in a club to creating beat-matched audio for TV or radio adverts, think Ministry of Sound compilation CDs where the tracks are blended in quick succession.

There are many alternative products like this on the market across a large price range. Magix Digital DJ 2 retails at £39.99, which is relatively inexpensive. In can be used in combination with a variety of MIDI controllers to make the adjustment of parameters more natural and easier for performing live. However there are only a certain number of devices that currently work with this version of the software so it’s worth checking the website before purchasing. There are upgrades that enable certain extra features available from Magix (Deckadance House & Club edition) for increased compatibility and functionality but cost an extra wad of cash.

I’ve installed the program on my MacBook Pro with 2.4GHz dual-core,
Intel Core i5 processor and 4gb of RAM. The installation process was quick, simple and clean as with most Mac based programs.

On opening the software, the interface pops up. It represents the two “decks” to drag and drop files onto. Digital DJ 2 supports a vast array of formats so don’t worry if you’ve got Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, MP4a, Mp3 files, etc. Different formats will be different quality (especially Kbps in Mp3s) so have a look online if you’re confused. It also features a mixer, loop machines, samplers, FX, playlists, all sorts of analysis scopes and more.

I started off with two tech house tunes both in the same key. I have no MIDI controller compatible with the software so used the mouse. On dropping the tracks in, the software instantly began analysing the tracks and popped up with the results in a few seconds. You can instantly see the virtual tape head in position over each tracks and even a notice will see where the kicks in the tracks create ‘peaks’.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that another essential piece of kit you will need is a secondary sound card. This is required to monitor or preview the next tune on your headphones before you start mixing it in over the speakers. The easiest way to do this is to get hold of a USB external sound card. These vary in price but generally more expensive models are higher quality resulting in lower latency monitoring. Alternatively, for DJs with an existing set-up you can include your DJ mixer in the set-up with a soundcard output for each deck. Then you can just monitor in the same way you normally would. Either way you will need two separate audio outputs from your computer. Thankfully, setting this up in the software is easy as the virtual wiring is laid out in a simple flow diagram.

The first thing I noticed when playing my track out was the sound quality. Sometimes tracks on programs of this nature can sound glitchy and weird but the track sounded full with smooth volume fading and cross fading to the next track. Changing the tempo didn’t affect the quality either and the key lock keeps the tracks harmonically sound. Beat matching was straightforward a simple click of the sync button matched the track tempos in an instant. I did notice that the groove in the first track was confusing the auto match system and the tracks were ‘phasing’ slightly. At this point a lot of DJ software would lack the depth to adjust this but impressively Digital DJ 2 goes further, allowing the user to manually fine tune these errors with a visual grid representation of the beats. The design of the software feels as though serious time and effort has been taken to make the DJ feel like he is manipulating the tracks without the engine interfering too much. Nothing is more frustrating with digital DJing than experiencing the computers beat matching algorithm forcing mixes out of time and Digital DJ 2 seems to overcome this very well.

Utilising cue points to make the track drop at the right point is similar to vinyl or CD turntables and this can be done easily and intuitively. Similarly the loop function is automatic so you can simply choose the size of your loop and fire away and the computer will take care of the rest until you release it although this can lead to confusion quite quickly if not used carefully. There is a large toolbox of decent FX that you can adjust and combine for unique mixes from the word go. These can be changed and customised to your hearts desire and a sampler can also be added to the mix for adding an extra dimension. The actual sound of the mixing is very transparent and the integration with iTunes is handy for creating track lists. Digital DJ 2 can even select similar tracks for you, kind of defeating the whole purpose of having a DJ but maybe good for a helping hand!

All of this said, with the program being impressive and functional it’s very difficult to use with just a mouse. Trying to get around to press each button in time and adjust volume and cross faders is just too much. This is where I would suggest any first-time users of this type of software might want to think twice about purchasing Digital DJ 2. To use it properly you need some kind of remote control at your fingertips and the major downfall in this particular instance is the lack of a MIDI learn feature for unsupported control surfaces.
As I mentioned before, Digital DJ 2 comes pre-mapped to be used in conjunction with some existing USB MIDI control surfaces on the market, so if you already own one of them then this is the program for you. It is very natural and expressive with deep sound and a big arsenal of sonic weaponry. You don’t have to use the auto BPM engine, it’s not required to pull off sweet mixes and that is a breath of fresh air for software like this. I can genuinely imagine it being used in a professional club environment. The depth of the options available make it an interesting program that could be a useful to anyone willing to invest the money and time into it.

For anyone looking for the real DJ experience I would always advise investing in a pair of turntables and a traditional DJ mixer but as programs like this continually improve and bridge the gap between the analogue and digital world, it’s hard not to understand why someone wouldn’t want to purchase this kind of system as a more functional and cheaper alternative.

For the reasons mentioned above, I give this 4/5 stars!

How To: Custom screensavers on an Amazon Kindle 4 (non touch) using Windows 7.

2012-02-19T18:48:00.005+00:00

So I recently got a fourth generation Kindle and wanted to get rid of the stock screensavers (Emily Dickinson seemed to be the only one that was displayed and it started to scare me after a while...)

I had a look around and there are a few tutorials but none of them seem that comprehensive so I decided to document my efforts and write my own.

Firstly, this will void the Amazon warranty and it isn't my fault if you break everything or cause a nuclear disaster.

This was done on a Windows 7 machine.
Grab a copy of "Putty" before we start. Clicky

Step 1:
Plug your Kindle into your computer via USB

Step 2:
Using Notepad, create a blank file called "ENABLE_DIAGS" (without quotes) on the root directory of your Kindle. Make sure it doesn't have the .txt extension that is added by default. Do this by selecting "All Files" under the "Save as Type" option.

Step 3:
Eject your Kindle from your computer. On the Kindle, click the MENU key and scroll down to "Settings". Tap the middle button.

Hit MENU again and scroll down to "Restart". Tap the middle button again.

The Kindle will now restart into Diagnostics Mode.

Step 4:
Wait for the Diagnostics menu to load. This will take a minute or so and along the way will make the screen look like its broken...It isn't.

Once loaded, scroll down to " N) Misc individual diagnostics" and tap the middle button.

Then scroll down to "Utilities" and tap the middle button.

Then scroll down to "Enable USBnet". Tap the middle button.

This will then set up your Kindle as a network device. Wait for a minute or so for your PC to detect it and install the drivers.

Step 5:

Go to your network adapter settings (Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections) and right click on the one that says "USB Ethernet/NDIS Gadget" in the description.

Select "Properties" and then double click on "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)"

In the top portion of the window press the "Use the following IP address" radio button. Enter 192.168.15.1 as the IP address and 255.255.255.0 as the Subnet mask.

Step 6:

Open Putty and enter 192.168.15.244 in the IP/DNS Hostname field. Leave everything else as default and click "Open".

You will see a prompt about security, click "Yes".

You will then be asked for a username, type "root" without the quotes and hit enter.

The password is "mario", again without quotes.

You will then be given another prompt.

Type (or copy and paste line by line) everything you see in blue.

mntroot rw
PRESS ENTER
mkdir /mnt/us/screensaver
PRESS ENTER
mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt/base-mmc
PRESS ENTER
mv /mnt/base-mmc/opt/amazon/screen_saver/600x800 /mnt/base-mmc/opt/amazon/screen_saver/600x800.old
PRESS ENTER
ln -sfn /mnt/us/screensaver /mnt/base-mmc/opt/amazon/screen_saver/600x800
PRESS ENTER

Then type "exit". Putty will close.

Step 7:
On your Kindle, Click the right arrow to exit. Then select "Disable Diagnostics". Tap enter, confirm and wait for your Kindle to reboot.

Step 8:
It will take a few moments to reconfigure but that is it!

Plug your Kindle into your PC and drop any screensavers you want in the "screensavers" folder. The image MUST be in .PNG format and have a width of 600pixels with a height of 800pixels.

If you have any questions just post a comment and I'll do my best!

Sennheiser HD 202 Review 5/5!

2011-09-22T18:37:00.003+01:00

Today I'm trying a new review style, I think it works a little better but let me know what you think!

Introduction:
Whilst listening to music the other day I decided I need a decent pair of headphones. I set myself a budget of £100 and went into town.

I tried several headphones out and originally settled on the "Bose around-ear headphones". They were within budget (£89) and the sound quality was awesome click to view. I had to head back to work and decided to hold off purchasing the headphones until the next day (after looking at prices online). After looking around I found the best place to buy from is HMV as I wanted to take advantage of their accidental damage insurance.

The design:
After work, I went back into the shop and noticed a pair of Sennheiser HD 202's out on display. They looked like standard headphones if not slightly more discreet than usual. They are completely black apart from the Sennheiser logo written down the side of each monitor.

That is pretty much it on the design front, they look like your standard slimline headphones!

The Price:
They were priced at £29.99 so I assumed they would be inferior quality compared to the Bose. Out of interest I had a listen to see what kind of headphones a company such as Sennheiser could produce at that price.

What I like:
It has to be said I was very impressed with the audio quality of the headphones. As soon as I put them on I could tell the sound was decent. I then set about the task of comparing the two pairs of headphones (sods law made it so the Bose headphones were at one side of the store and the Sennheisers at the other).

After 3 or 4 trips back and forth, I settled on the Sennheisers. The Bose headphones had a very crisp and clear sound which I liked however the Sennheisers had a similar sound with a better bass response. Its testimant to the quality of the Sennheisers that I went for them over the more expensive Bose headphones.

I love to be able to hear the bass line on a pair of headphones - this defiantly was a contributory factor when deciding on my headphones. On my music player (which I will review one day...) I have a "Bass Boost" option which coupled with these headphones is astounding taking the price into account.

At a normal volume and what I would class as "loud" the speakers seem to cope perfectly with absolutely no distortion at all. The fact they are headphones obviously reduces outside noise interference and this together with the slight inwards pressure from the headphones it creates a nice seal which reduces if not eliminates outside noise. As I type this I'm sitting in my living room with my housemate watching the TV. When I play music at a normal volume I cant hear it (the TV that is).

I am extreamly happy with my choice of headphones and feel as though I got an absolute bargain. On a side note, I only found out about the HMV headphone warranty whilst researching these headphones. For around £3 I got a years worth of accidental damage insurance. This has been a good day.

I give the headphones a solid 5/5. Its safe to say there are headphones on the market with a better quality sound however I think you will be looking at least £200 to beat these in a noticeable manor. If these headphones were priced at £100, I would still have got them over the Bose.

Its worth mentioning that the wire for these headphones is very long, it comes with a cool product (embedded with the Sennheiser logo) to wrap the excess wire round so its not a problem. I think a long wire will be very useful in some situations such as DJing. It also comes with a 3.5mm jack and an adapter for a 6.3mm input.

Tech Specs (taken from http://www.sennheiser.co.uk) :

Traditional Full-Sized Design
Closed-Back (Seal Out External Noise/No Sound Leakage)
Wind-Up Cable Clip
Frequency response - 18 to 18,000 Hz
Impedance 32 ohms
Sound pressure level 115 dB
Connection - 3.5 mm plug with 6.3 mm plug adaptor
Cable - 3 m, OFC
Weight - 130 g

OmniFocus for iPad Review 4.5/5

2011-09-19T00:51:00.004+01:00

For those of you not familiar with the OmniFocus suite, it is a collection of two apps for iPad and iPhone and a program for Mac users. Although these all sync into each other(either through MobileMe, Omni Sync Server or straight to your Mac through your WiFi) they also work perfectly in their own right. OmniFocus for iPad is priced at £23.99, which may seem quite steep to some, but isn't as bad as you may initially think.

OmniFocus organises your life into a series of tasks, categorised into 'Projects' and 'Contexts'. Projects are just that, a series of related jobs all catagorised together. For larger projects there is also the ability to have multiple folders within your projects. 'Contexts' are system of grouping all the tasks that belong to a certain 'area' together, for example 'Shop', you can then locationally tag this, so that whenever you visit the shop, the tasks you have outstanding appear. You can also attach notes to your tasks for extra information.

Initially when you receive a task you can fill in the brief details into your 'Inbox' if you are rushed and then fill in details such as due dates, the project and/or context it falls under at a later date. OmniFocus also has the ability to view a weekly planner of outstanding tasks, a map displaying your context's locations and can sync with your iPad calendar.

The learning curve for OmniFocus is perhaps slightly sharper than that of some of it's competitors such as 'Tasks', however due to the flexibility of the 'Projects' and 'Contexts', it is much more powerful. The interface is clean, intuitive and very easy to navigate. Compared to the iPhone version of the app I find it much easier to use' as the extra space, and ability to flip between portrait and landscape to bring up the sidebar, make it more accessible.

In summary this is a very impressive, flexible and deverse app which will help keep track of tasks for those with a busy lifestyle, despite the slightly high price tag compared to other iPad apps, including those in it's price tag.

4.5/5

The above review was written by the newest member of the team - Thom. I'm fairly lazy and haven't added him to the BSR accounts yet...Will do this soon (Sorry Thom)

A look at Britvic / Blue Marlin's Turbo Tango...The bottle contains nitrogen.

2011-07-30T19:09:00.002+01:00

Firstly an apology, I have recently graduated University and got a full time job hence not seeing any updates for a few months!

Today I went to the shop and saw that stuff that was in the press recently - Turbo Tango

I can honestly say its the worst thing I have ever seen.

Naturally I got a bottle of it to try out. There is not much to say really. It tastes much the same as normal orange tango but I find it leaves a bad taste afterwards.

I finished the bottle and decided to take it apart.

The insides are not very impressive, I believe it works the same was as spray on deodorant and the like. It also mentions nitrogen on the ingredients list so I assume that is what propels the liquid into your mouth. I don't think I ever want to drink it again.

I'm not sure that its the most suitale thing for kids as we have such a high rate of childhood obesity and now they dont even have to lift their arms to drink!

P.S I feel a bit sick now

P.P.S Lots of new reviews coming soon!

Quick Google Chrome / Chromium OS and Chromebook (kindof) Review.

2011-05-14T15:53:00.001+01:00

Below is a quick review of Google's new Operating System (Google Chrome or Chromium OS). The OS is running on an Acer Aspire One netbook. Acer are manufacturing the first lot of Chromium laptops (ChromeBooks). I guess it's as close as and end user can get to the laptops themselves.

What do you think of the OS?

Canon IXUS 105 12MP Digital Camera 5/5!

2011-04-14T13:39:00.002+01:00

I bought this camera purely because I take hundreds of photos wherever I go and it's important to me that I get a good quality camera as I enjoy getting photos printed out rather than just keep them on my laptop. I can't say I had been particularly searching for a digital camera but knew that the phone I wanted had a 5mp camera and felt like I needed something better.

Knowing that Currys usually have good offers on in store, I went in and had a look at the cameras they had behind the counter. My decision was strongly based on the megapixels, colour/style of the camera and also how the camera runs, for example, battery powered or charged through mains.

I compared this canon with a sony camera and also a samsung dual screen camera, all three being 12.1mp. They were all of a similar size and come in various colours. I ruled out the samsung because having a screen on the front is not on my list of priorities and is not worth paying an extra £40-50 for.

My final decision was to be made between Sony and Canon. I asked to see both of the cameras turned on but soon realised after taking a few photos that the display screen on the Sony wasn't very sharp and was a little fuzzy. The screen on the Sony Ixus 105 however, is much clearer, almost perfect for reviewing previously taken photos.

Upon opening the box I found a USB cable, AV cable, solutions disc, manuals disc and carry strap. The dimensions for the camera are as follows: Size H5.58, W9.05cm, D [when camera is off] 2.12cm.

The camera has image stabilization and is charged by mains. Other features include : face detection technology, scene detection technology and supports video shooting with videos stored in VGA format.

RRP: £129.99 purchased for £89.98 with an extra of £21 3 year insurance covering any fault, accidental damage or product defect.

As I am not a camera expert, I am basing my overall score on how the camera meets my needs and expectations. It is slim, light and stylish and does the job perfectly so, as a camera for my every day use it receives a score of 5/5.

Desk Genie by Mobile Fun (phone holder, universal phone charger, USB hub and card reader) 4/5 !

2011-04-14T12:45:00.003+01:00

RRP: £11.95

Mobile Fun sent me the Desk Genie to review.

The Desk Genie is billed as a phone holder, universal phone charger, USB hub and 8 in 1 card reader.

To be honest, as with a couple of recent products, I didn't really understand the point of it at first. When charging my phone I normally just put it on my desk and plug it into the wall. I decided to give the Desk Genie a go to see what it has to offer.

I stole a stock image from MobileFun

Upon opening the box, I didn't really believe that the "non-slip" surface would hold my phone (HTC Wildfire). The surface is at an angle of about 45 degrees and I was positive it was just going to slip off. It was pretty surprising to see how it stayed exactly where I placed it. I have read a few reviews that say it can't support heavier phones though so if you are thinking of getting one you should check first!

After a few days of using it, I kind of got it. In my eyes its much like combining your kettle, toaster and microwave. All useful products but not something that's normally put together. I could understand a phone holder and charger but throwing in a card reader and USB hub confused me a bit.

That being said, I do use a USB hub and plugged into that is a card reader. This product allowed me to take the hub and card reader off the desk which saved on space and reduced the amount of cables I have lying around.

I love the style of the product and feel it doesn't look out of place on my desk. I love the bright silver on matte black look and the blue LED is a nice finishing touch.

Another positive to the product is that it comes with 9 different phone chargers which allow it to charge nearly any phone. As a self confessed addict, I think this is actually a smart investment. Personally, I change my phone a lot and because of this I always have to buy new car chargers and accessories. I think what I'm going to do now is put this in the car. I have a USB to car cigarette lighter adapter and using this, I can charge any phone I'm using without having to buy new adapters.

I can only find one thing I don't like about this product. The 9 cable heads it comes with are only for charging and not for USB data transfer. I'm not sure how feasible it is but I think it would be technically possible to connect it up internally. Its not a big deal but if your phone is on charge, you have to switch over the cabling to enable USB transfer.

I have tested it with the below phones:

Sony Ericsson Vivaz (landscape and portrait, needs to be at the top of the holder)

LG Optimus One (landscape and portrait)

HTC Wildfire (landscape and portrait)

Nokia X3 (landscape and portrait)

2 kitkats and a USB pen (I got a little bored today...)

Hopefully the above will give you a good indication of the kind of weights it can hold.

Overall it's a nice piece of kit. I will defiantly carry on using it either in my car or on the desk! I give it 4/5, it would get a solid 5 if you could transfer data using the cables it comes with!

If you wan't one and want to make me rich, then buy one using my link! By clicking here!

Jilong Inflatable Chair Review, 4.5/5!

2011-03-17T13:57:00.004+00:00

RRP: £15

I started out looking for an inflatable "bubble" chair, as i was searching there were many results showing this inflatable chair created by 'Jilong'. The photos i came across attracted me as it looked like a very comfortable, stylish chair that would meet my impulse need for an inflatable chair. I looked around and found that the best deals for myself were on Ebay due to my delivery requrement. Although i purchased mine from a seller on Ebay, the chair can also be found in stores such as Tesco and various sports shops online.

The Jilong inflatable chair arrived in a small compact box which makes it ideal for transportation. After discovering the only way to inflate the chair is by own breath, i began inflating it. I thought this was going to be a big job but actually, it was ok and did not take long at all. It does say on the chair not to use a high pressure pump but any manual pump would be ok if you had the correct fitting. The smell of plastic was a little strong but this is expected from this type of material and once fully inflated and out for a few days, the smell soon disappears.

The chair isn't as big as first expected but after sitting on it, i suddenly realised the comfort of it. The raised rim around the outside of the chair supports your body. The material is thick PVC, so although it is common sense not to put it down on something sharp, it is very sturdy and probably wouldn't puncture too easily. If you lean back on the chair it doesn't wobble over but for added support over a longer period of time, i'd suggest leaning against something such as a wall. I found that it only comes in black which for me as a girl, is a little bit disappointing but the pattern inside the rim adds colour and looks appealing. It also fits well as an additional piece of furniture in any room due to its size and colour.

The chair is ideal for almost anything like, gaming, reading, a chair to take camping etc.

Dimensions:

H: 53cm

L: 85cm

W: 85cm

I love this item but my small suggested improvement would be to raise the chair slightly more from the ground and raise the edges a little more. I rate this as 4.5/5 due to the slightly too low positioning of the chair, for a child this would be an absolutely ideal product, but an adult may find it a little uncomfy on their back.

Veebeam HD Review 4.5/5! Stream your Videos and Pictures to a HD/SD TV.

2011-03-17T01:15:00.006+00:00

Veebeam sent us their new "Veebeam HD" to review.

RRP: £139. A standard definition Version is available for £99.

The Veebeam is a small device that plugs into your TV. It works on both HD and SD TV's so compatibility needn't be worried about. You get a USB dongle to plug into your Laptop or PC which connects wirelessly to the Veebeam box. You can then stream Videos, Music, Pictures and much more.

Upon opening the package I was presented with this:

As you can see, its simple yet stylish. I'm a big geek and love the look of techy things, this product to me looks futuristic and sexy. I love everything about it right down to the air vents. A bonus feature is that the USB dongle fits in the front of the device and, when its removed it automatically turns the device on.

Taking a look round the back shows you this:

Power Port
2 USB ports (currently used for device updates)
1 HDMI Output
Composite AV ports (for a standard definition TV)
Digital Audio/Tos Link

At first I didn't really understand the purpose of the Veebeam. I watch a lot of streamed media from my laptop on my TV and I guess I'm lucky because I have a HDMI output, I usually just plug that in. I gave the Veebeam a go and it has to be said - I'm glad I did.

The functionality of the Veebeam is awesome. The software is so easy to use, everything is where you would expect and you can just right click on any video file and click "PC to Veebeam". You can put the output into 2 modes, Screencasting and Play To.

Screencasting mode:
This displays exactly what is on your screen on the TV. It's much like the extend desktop feature in Windows. This streams your desktop (and anything you are watching such as iPlayer, itv Player, 4OD and anything else you can think of!)

Play To:
In this mode you create a playlist and it is seemlessly streamed to the device and played on your TV. You can work (or if your me - play games) on your PC whilst streaming a film, music or pictures to the TV.

To top it all off both modes work in glorious 1080p!

We have found although it is great for media streaming, it isn't really a viable option to use as a dual screen for your computer as there is a slight lag when navigating the screen on the TV. This does not affect the audio and video at all - to be fair to Veebeam they don't pretend you can use it for dual screen mode.

We tested the Veebeam on: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard. It worked fine on each (note: You do need a fairly powerful system to run the Veebeam software - they recommend 2.2GHz Dual Core with 2GB RAM)

It's worth mentioning that I don't use a Mac, however Sean (another BSR editor) does. He informed me that Macs don't have a HDMI port, he also says that after much research this is the cheapest and one of the most efficient ways of transferring media from a Mac to a TV. Come to think of it he was the last of us to test the Veebeam and I haven't seen it since...

I see the Veebeam as a direct competitor to the Apple TV, and without wanting to sound like a sales pitch, in my opinion it's clearly much better. With Apple you need to purchase content through them and everything is done through iTunes. This will let you watch what you want from wherever you want.

Veebeam offer a full 30 day money back guarantee. I think it's defiantly worth at least giving it a try! get one at http://www.veebeam.com/ You can check out the tech specs of both the HD and SD versions at the bottom of this article.

The Veebeam gets 4.5/5. The reason it didn't get 5 is because I cant bear to look at 2 USB ports just sitting there. I contacted the CEO who informed me that the ports are used for device updates however they are working on making them fully functional ports. They get the extra .5 when they do!

Spec List:

Video/Audio/USB output	Composite A/V HDMI Digital Audio/TOSLink Two (2) USB Ports
Screen/input resolution	1280 x 1024 - Desktop 1280 x 1024 - Photo, Video
Max output resolution	480i - NTSC/PAL 1080p - HDMI
A/V containers	If you can play it on your PC, you can play it on Veebeam. Capable of supporting: AVI, MKV (Matroska), MOV/M4V (Quicktime), MP4, ASF/WMV (Microsoft), MPG (MPEG2-PS/TS), Flash, AVCHD.
Video decoders	If you can play it on your PC, you can play it on Veebeam. Capable of supporting: H.264/AVC, MPEG4 (part 2)/Xvid, WMV (VC-1), MPEG-2 , VP6/7/8, Theora
Audio decoders	If you can play it on your PC, you can play it on Veebeam. MP3 (MPEG1 Layer 3), AAC, AAC+, Dolby Digital/AC-3 (downmix), LPCM (AIFF, WAV), WMA, DTS (downmix), FLAC
Photo formats	Screencast \| JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF
Power	110-120VAC (60Hz) or 220-240VAC (50Hz) 10W at 12VDC (20W max)
Wireless	Ultra-Wideband @>150Mbps constant rate
DRM	None
Systems requirements	2.2 GHz or greater Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel i3, i5, and i7 2 MB cache memory 2 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.5, 10.6), Windows 7, Vista and XP
Protocols Used	DLNA, UPnP and Wireless USB Compatible
Footprint	120mm x 120mm x 80mm
Warranty	1 Year

2011-03-12T19:23:00.001+00:00

We get a fair number of hits from Japan so hope this helps.

我々は、これが役に立てば幸い日本からのヒット、かなりの数を取得します。

Wii Game: We Dare Review 0/5 - Rated as 12 by PEGI.

2011-03-10T20:14:00.011+00:00

So we just heard about "We Dare" a new game made by Ubisoft.

We feel we already have enough information to create an in-depth and accurate critical review of the product.

It's terrible, please don't buy yourself or your kids it.

Further to this, the Wii console seems to be aimed at children: This Game is rated as a "12" by PEGI. They write on their website "Age ratings provide guidance to consumers (particularly parents) to help them decide whether or not to buy a particular product...The rating on a game confirms that it is suitable for players over a certain age"

Ubisoft describe the game as "We Dare is a sexy, quirky, party game that offers a large variety of hilarious, innovative and physical, sometimes kinky, challenges. The more friends you invite to party, the spicier the play!"

Oh, to be 12 again.

Words can't describe how wrong this is.

Anyone else agree?

Update: I have sent PEGI an email asking why they rated it as a "12". Looking forward to the reply.

Taken from www.pegi.info

How we rooted and downgraded the HTC Wildfire / Buzz from Android 2.2.1 to 2.1...Then installed Gingerbread.

2011-03-06T12:19:00.003+00:00

Yesterday was a very long day. We managed to source an XTC Clip for use on one of our HTC Wildfires. The process of downgrading didn't involve many steps however it was pretty complicated. We documented what we did in order to help others, hope it helps!

How we rooted and downgraded the HTC Wildfire / Buzz from Android 2.2.1 to 2.1...Then installed Gingerbread.

Standard Disclaimer applies - This method worked for us but it may (probably not) permanently brick your phone. We bricked this Wildfire about 6 or 7 times and its still standing but yeah...I digress.

We made a little video explaining how to downgrade, watch that first and if you get stuck read each step below.

1) You have to source an XTC Clip. I know its a ball ache but many phone stores carry them. You can always buy one online and try and split the cost with other users needing the same thing. This will set the S-Lock on your phone to off (S-Off) a by product of this method will also fully unlock the phone to all network providers and countries.

2) Download an RUU rom. This is an original stock rom. Make sure its pre 2.2! Personally I downloaded "RUU_Buzz_HTC_WWE_1.14.405.2_R_Radio_13.45.55.24_3.35.15.31_release_130814_signed" from Shipped Roms - http://bit.ly/ai2rY2 - This rom is an unbranded English rom that works in all countries.

3) Plug your phone into the PC and set it to "Charge through USB". Open your RUU rom .exe. Follow the on screen instructions and then let it install.

4) Once your phone has the stock 2.1 (or whatever you installed) rom on, Root it using unrEVOked. Basically, you just open unrEVOked and plug your phone in. Be sure to install the phone drivers from here http://bit.ly/a2DcCv if your on Windows! - If you get an error at any time, Email adam@gadget-reviews.me and I can send you a link to an experimental version of unrEVOked.

5) unrEVOked will install a rom manager (Clockwork mod recovery) to the "recovery" sector on your phone. It will boot up on its own but if you need it (you defiantly will) turn the phone off - then hold the volume down button and turn it on. Once loaded wait about 10 seconds, then use the volume keys to navigate to "Recovery" - tap power to select the option.

6) Install what you like! Personally I installed Gingerbread by way of Cyanogenmod 7- I recommend you install this first of all as I can help you out with it.

How to install Cyanogenmod 7 (ANY BUILD!)

Download the newest nightly build, or the more stable RC1 from here - http://bit.ly/dIHDyC. Update: This method works with any build!

Restart your phone into the recovery manager. Go to partitions menu and click "mount USB storage" - power won't select this time, you have to push the navigation stick in to select an option.

Place the .zip folder onto the sd card root. DO NOT unzip - The world will explode or something if you do. Whilst your there also place this file on the root http://bit.ly/gHkNty

Click unmount and go back to the main menu (by tapping the power button).

Click wipe data/factory reset - Let it run.

Click wipe cache partition - Let it run.

Click "install zip from sdc".

Click "choose zip from sdcard"

Click "update-cm-7.0.0.0-RC1" or whatever you named your Cyanogenmod rom. May take a minute to install.

Go back to the "choose zip from sdcard" menu. Click HCDR.Kernel_v4.1". Let it install.

Go to the main menu. Click Reboot.

The first Cyanogenmod boot will take a while, as long as the logo is spinning round you have nothing to worry about.

If you get stuck at all during any of this then I would recommend going to this site http://bit.ly/dbzLS9 - It's an IRC chatroom with some of the most Android knowledgeable people I have ever met - They sorted me out so many times.

XDA Developers was also a port of call of mine, many users also have advanced Android knowledge - http://bit.ly/bDPO6m

Welcome to the custom rom club! Leave us a comment to let us know how you got on.

i-eX Gaming Chair Review, 5/5!

2011-02-25T15:17:00.004+00:00

These days people are shouting and screaming about new found ways of gaming. We have wands, cameras, nunchuks and fitness packs all attempting to get us out of our seats and jumping around the room like idiots. This is all good fun and a few burned calories definitely wouldn’t kill most of us… but what happens when you just want to kick back, relax and game in comfort? Well, we think we may have an answer for you!

This week we have been sent a gaming chair from the lovely guys at i-eX gaming – and boy has this had some rigorous testing. This chair is worlds apart from others we have seen, used and tested. There are no built in speakers, no awkward wires or gimmicks, with the focus being put entirely on its comfort and support.

When we unboxed the product our first impressions were very positive. The chair is essentially a superior quality bean-filled design with a stylish leather finish. The one we received has a nice silver lining with a pretty cool looking silver i-eX logo across the base. There is the option of a stylish lime green also available as shown in the provided pictures.

The size of the chair immediately stood out – it’s huge. At almost a meter in height with an 85cm base, it towers above most other gaming chairs and certainly appears to have achieved its “man-sized-comfort”. Rather surprisingly though, it weighs around 5-6kg and as such it can easily be moved around your living room/bedroom/man-cave with very little effort.

The stitching and panels give the chair a nice structure, with an incredibly comfy bucket seat that will keep you supported throughout the longest of gaming sessions. The bean filled design comes into its own and after your first few times using the chair; you will find it shapes itself around you for even more support.

This chair has been used for a week solid by several of us here at Blue Sky and we all love it. All of our gaming and even some of our product testing has been done whilst in the comfort of the chair and it certainly appears very well stitched and incredibly durable. This is not your average beanbag chair, the attention to ergonomics is fantastic and it has obviously been crafted with the intention of spending long periods gaming.

To summarize, it’s not very often I steer people away gadgets and technology, but the lack of whistles and bells on this chair is definitely made up for in its design.

The chair is priced at £99.99 and can be purchased from Bean Bag Bazaar at the following link:

http://www.beanbagbazaar.co.uk/iex-gaming-chairs.aspx

Sit back, sink in and enjoy your games in comfort. The i-eX gaming chair receives a whopping:

5/5

Aimon PS & Aimon XB Console Mouse Review, 5/5!

2011-02-23T12:53:00.004+00:00

I have lost count of the times I have heard pc gamers complaining bout using a joypad. They can't get used to them, their aim isn't as good and their console experience is generally frustrating. Fear not! I do understand this angst and I have been there myself. Unfortunately I persisted with the joypad which resulted in many screaming fits and much hair loss till my aim got there. The good news for my pc gaming friends is that this recent product from Banco means you do not have to endure the same hardships.

The Aimon PS and the Aimon XB are a both mice that will work with your Playstation and Xbox consoles. Having used similar products before I have been left feeling disappointed and slightly frustrated, this time I certainly was not.

The pack come with three components:

The mouse

• The nunchuk

The USB dongle

**NOTE the Aimon XB requires a standard wired controller**

The software used for managing button assignment can be downloaded from the Aimon website and allows the user to change the layout of ANY buttons through a drag and drop menu.

As opposed to using WSAD the player still uses a nunchuk complete with thumbstick, L1 and L2 buttons. When playing first person shooters this is incredibly easy to use even for the seasoned WSAD user. The thumbstick controls the forward/backward and strafing motions similar to a keyboard and the L1/L2 can be assigned according to preference.

The mouse comes complete with scroll wheel, left and right click in addition to the corresponding four action buttons as shown below. Both of the click buttons are assigned to R1 and R2 unless specifically assigned elsewhere.

Now for where this product sets itself apart from the rest - aiming. This is the most sensitive and accurate product of it's kind that we have used to date. Previous products have taken a lot of calibration resulting in a mediocre mouse emulation at best. These products both gave me the distinct feeling of gaming using an actual mouse once again.

There is still a degree of calibration involved but a lot of this is relatively easy. The majority is done simply by holding the F button and scrolling until happy in addition to increasing or decreasing sensitivity.

This is THE solution for the pc gamers looking to make the jump to a console but do not want to adjust to the controllers. If you prefer a mouse when gaming, this is the product for you.

Aimon PS & Aimon XB get a well deserved 5/5

If you are involved in retail and would like to resell either of these products, further information can be found here: http://www.tuact.com

Update on HTC Desire HD 2.2.1 Problems and this weeks reviews!

2011-02-21T20:48:00.001+00:00

Hi all,

Thanks for the many, many replies we have had on Facebook and the Emails we have been receiving. We are making progress looking into the update problems. We will send out a mass Email to all those that have replied to us in the next couple of days.

HTC have removed a comment we made on their Facebook and I have noticed at the bottom of each Email they send to us they have started putting that we may be breaking the law if we post their responses on here. All I can say to them is this:

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you are having problems with the 2.2.1 update. Don't forget I have enabled comments on this and the previous article!

In other news, we have several reviews coming up this week. The gadget I'm most excited about is the Veebeam. This weeks reviews include:

A gaming chair

HTC Wildfire (We purchased 2 last week...)

A couple of PS3/Xbox 360 Keyboards

There is also one or two more so keep checking back!

HTC Desire HD Android 2.2.1 Froyo Christmas Update Problems and Issues. Send us your stories!

2011-02-16T22:49:00.010+00:00

Scroll down for my Email address, I would very much like you to send me all of your problems so I can forward them to the responsible parties and try to get the service providers to issue new phones. I will respond to each of you individually.

Hello all,

I have been busy working away in the background of BlueSky Gadget Reviews and this is my first post.

I have decided to post to try and clear up some issues that I have been having with my HTC Desire HD. We got the phone within a week of release because I liked the look of it and I thought it would make a good review.

Over Christmas I updated the phone to Android Froyo 2.2.1. Some of the problems I encounted were:

Not being alerted when I receive a text message - had to go into the inbox to find a new message.

When I clicked on inbox, the new message alert came up and would not go away.

The alarm clock malfunctioned and I was late for a very important meeting.

The GPS malfunctioned.

Phone kept rebooting for no reason.

Battery life decreased.

Phone freezes a lot.

Photos weren't displaying in the gallery (SD Card?)

Disappearing text messages

About a week after the update I stubbed my toe on the kitchen unit.. :(..Coincidence?

Some volume issues.

I have contacted HTC via Email and they recommended resetting the phone...It didn't work. I then waited patiently for an update to fix the problems but after a couple of weeks I gave in.

I rang my service provider (Orange) and they issued me with a refurbished phone...It was full to the brim of Orange branding and bloat-ware. Apparently Orange can only distribute refurbished branded phones :/

This refurbished phone was dangerous as when it was in my hand on charge, I touched metal (my MacBook Pro) and could feel a current on the ends of my fingertips. I looked at the micro USB port on the handset and could see that it was set at an angle. Back to Orange it went.

Alas I received yet another replacement handset and first thing I did was to connect it via micro USB to my computer.Again, I noticed the cable was entering the refurbished phone at an angle and didn't fit properly. I'm not prepared to put up with the constant disappointment Orange have brought me. I also noticed a couple of scratches on the phone.

The idea:

I'm sick of the poor customer service I am constantly receiving from Orange. I'm disappointed and frustrated at being bounced from company to company (HTC, Android, Orange). I plan on bringing this update into the limelight and I am thinking about progressing this issue further.

If you have been affected by the Android 2.2.1 update I would very much appreciate you sending me a list of your problems so that I can forward them onto the appropriate parties in an attempt to help all those affected, including myself. I won't stop until I am satisfied and I have a new HTC Desire HD in my hand.

The more of you that respond, the more likely we are to lay this issue to rest.

Please contact me at: sean@gadget-reviews.me

Product Announced: HP TouchPad, HP Pre3 and the HP Veer

2011-02-10T23:15:00.002+00:00

I am trying a new section out on the site - Product Announcements.

I get quite a few Emails per day letting me know about new gadgets and pieces of technology that are being developed and released. Usually I have a little read just to keep ahead of what's on the way so I decided that I will post here when any interesting ones come along. Not that it needs to be said with the amount of Emails you guys send me but let me know if you do or don't like it!

HP got in touch and said this:

Today HP announced three exciting new webOS products:

1. The HP TouchPad – the first webOS slate

2. The HP Pre3 – a smartphone designed for professionals who require mobile productivity and personal connectivity

3. The HP Veer – the smallest webOS smartphone to date

HP TouchPad Brings webOS to the Big Screen

· HP today enlarged the HP webOS world with the first webOS slate – the HP TouchPad – the breakthrough webOS user interface fully realised in the tablet experience

· With its vibrant 24.6 cm (9.7”) diagonal flush capacitive multitouch display, virtual keyboard, instant-on access, support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 beta in the browser and access to thousands of webOS applications,TouchPad works the way you do and is designed not just for fun but for mobile productivity

· TouchPad is one of the products HP announced today to introduce a unique experience for customers around connected mobility, offering a unified experience for the first time across a variety of devices. It’s one of the building blocks in HP’s vision to seamlessly connect all your worlds through the power of HP webOS.

HP Pre³ Introduces the New Look of Business for the 24-hour Life

· The HP Pre³ is designed for professionals who require powerful mobile productivity with an eye on personal connectivity, all running on webOS

· With a large 9.1 cm (3.58”) touchscreen, fast 1.4-GHz processor and a full slide-out keyboard, the HP Pre³ is a multitasking professional workhorse that’s perfectly balanced for speed and serious fun

· The HP Pre³ offers business-class email and encrypted data storage to protect critical information and supports industry-standard VPN to connect to corporate networks

HP Veer Packs Big Smartphone Experience into Powerfully Small Package

· HP today introduced the powerfully small HP Veer smartphone running HP webOS for anyone who wants a smartphone that packs the features they crave into one tiny package

· Veer is the smallest webOS phone to date – the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards – yet it offers the higher-end features of a smartphone, such as easy messaging and access to apps, social networks and the web, including support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 beta in the browser for access to rich, Flash-based web content.

Will update with more info when I receive it!

Silverline 633909 Battery, Bulb and Fuse Tester Review – 3/5

2011-02-10T20:49:00.001+00:00

If you ever get round to sorting out your man drawer, you’re inevitably going to reach the point where you have a handful of assorted batteries with no idea of their conditional at all. This is where this handy gadget comes in. By placing your batteries against the tester, it will tell you what the state of the battery is and whether it’s good for another year in the drawer or destined for the bin. The tester cost me £2.83 from Amazon.co.uk.

The tester has two contacts on the front for testing 9v batteries, although the feature that’s probably going to get the most use is the 1.5V battery tester on the side. It allows you to place an AA or AAA battery along the side of the device and clamp it with the moving arm. It worked quite well when I tried it – it successfully identified the dead and dying batteries – although the moving arm on the side feels uncomfortably loose. The result of the test is displayed on the analogue display which lacks any units but instead indicates either “good” (green), “low” (yellow) or “bad” (red). The needle on the display also doesn’t rest at the beginning of the scale which does lead me to doubt the overall accuracy of it.

This gadget doesn’t just test batteries though. There are contacts on the front for testing fuses and bulbs. I can’t think of a time when I’ve ever had to test a fuse or a bulb, but it’s great that I’ve got a way of doing it now.

The instructions for operation are on the back of the device although they fail to mention a little sliding hatch revealing a small tray for which I can’t find any purpose what-so-ever. My best guess is that it’s for storing spare fuses as it’s roughly the right size, but I suppose it could be used to store spare button batteries (unfortunately, it’s a bit too small for AA or AAAs).

The only major bad point I can identify with this device is that it requires a 9v battery to operate, which if you don’t have one lying around, can possibly set you back almost as much as the tester itself.

For the price, the Silverline 633909 is a great little gadget although if you’ve got a multi-meter kicking about, you’d probably rather use that for its accuracy and precision. It’s difficult to feel confident about the reading from the analogue display on the Silverline tester, although it seems to work well if you want to get a rough idea 3/5.

Give Away!

2011-02-10T11:49:00.000+00:00

We are currently planning 2 give-aways. At the moment we are in talks with a few companies and we hope this give-away will be something amazing! To get involved you can follow us on Twitter or subscribe to us on YouTube. One lucky winner will be picked at 500 YouTube subs and 1,000 Twitter followers. Follow us on both to have a better chance of winning! Good Luck!